The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that Goss’s wilt, a serious bacterial disease affecting maize crops, has spread to additional provinces across South Africa following a comprehensive delimiting survey conducted in 2025.
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
Initially detected in 2024 in the Free State, North West, Gauteng and Eastern Cape provinces, the disease caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis has now been confirmed in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape. KwaZulu-Natal remains the only province with no confirmed detections to date.
The pest is now regulated under the Agricultural Pests Act of 1983 and Control Measures R.110 (amended 2025), with movement restrictions imposed on host material and equipment. The Department says it is building a culture collection of local Clavibacter isolates while enhancing diagnostics and surveillance capabilities.
Also read: New maize wilt disease reported in South Africa
Disease Symptoms and Impact
Goss’s wilt primarily causes leaf blight and wilting in maize plants. Symptoms include water-soaked or shiny lesions, freckling, dark lesions and progressive leaf necrosis that can lead to complete plant collapse. The disease poses a significant threat to maize yields with no effective chemical controls currently available.
Authorities are working to identify tolerant and resistant cultivars while developing region-specific management guidelines. The Department is also promoting farmer-researcher knowledge exchange to combat the disease’s spread.
Also read: Wet planting season: Maize, soya beans starting to rot in places
Farmer Recommendations Issued
The Department advises farmers to use resistant hybrids where available and practice crop rotation with non-host crops such as soybeans and small grains. Farmers should minimise movement of infected crop residue and contaminated equipment, avoid mechanical injury to plants, and maintain strict machinery hygiene.
The Department also warns against illegal importation of agricultural products or used farm equipment and urges farmers to follow official management guidelines.
Guidelines on how to manage the disease can be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website through the following this link.
For pest-related inquiries, farmers can contact Jan Hendrik Venter or Dr Maanda Rambauli at the Directorate: Plant Health on 012 319 6384/6164 or 067 410 6098/078 827 4608 or email: JanhendrikV@nda.gov.za or MaandaR@nda.gov.za.
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Goss’s wilt: There’s hope for maize farmers
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